I just got back from a two-week vacation. My family stayed in four- and five-star hotels. We ate like royalty and took taxis everywhere. And it cost less than many all-inclusive vacation resorts.

How?

Let me share the secrets to amazing travel in Asia.

How Your Military Family Can Travel Asia Like A Boss On The Budget Of An Intern

Low-Cost Carriers

The first secret to an amazing trip is the flight. You could totally splurge and there are many regional and international airlines that go all out. However, they also cost an arm and a leg for relatively short trips.

Instead, go budget.

Low Cost Carriers or LCCs are often the least expensive way to travel in Asia. We’ve taken an LCC to mainland Japan, Okinawa, Thailand and South Korea. While the seats are tight and nothing is included, this has been the best option for travel so far.

These airlines are similar to the budget carriers stateside. You buy your seat and nothing else is included. However, prices to and from major hubs are usually less than $100 per ticket. When flying as a family, keeping it basic and on budget can help with the bottom line.

Rock Bottom Hotel Pricing

As you’re looking for places to go, take a peek at their hotel prices. In major cosmopolitan cities, like Tokyo or Seoul, prices are comparable to similar U.S. cities. This can make staying in swanky lodgings a real budget killer.

In Southeast Asia, everything is much, much cheaper. How much cheaper? We stayed in a luxury one-bedroom suite with a kitchenette in the heart of Bangkok for $100 per night. That’s how cheap. The room deal included breakfast too.

This was the case throughout our travels in this region. Many hotels are incredibly cheap compared to similar properties in the United States. Almost every property we stayed at, from Bangkok to Hoi An, included breakfast. We only stayed in one room that wasn’t at suite level during the whole two-week vacation.

The farther you get from the metropolitan areas, the bigger the price drop. Our private bungalow in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, was $40 per night, with breakfast included. You just cannot beat that!

Airbnb

When staying in a larger city or if you want a more “authentic” experience, Airbnb or private property rentals can be a great route.

We opted to do this in Seoul. The Dragon Hill Lodge was fully booked and there weren’t a ton of hotel rooms that fit both our budget and our needs. Instead, we rented an entire apartment from Airbnb. The owner was a native of Seoul and gave us great advice about places to eat, getting around and local culture.

Our apartment was about the same cost, or less, than a standard hotel room. We had triple the space, a full kitchen and a stellar rooftop patio right near Itaewon and Yongsan.

In researching future trips, I’ve seen amazing properties available all over Asia. There are fully-staffed private villas in Bali and beachfront bungalows in Koh Samui. Plus, you can adjust the filters to meet your needs, budget and desired location.

Stay Healthy

One of my biggest fears about traveling throughout Asia was avoiding illness. I’ve heard horror stories about people who have been taken down hard by food born illness or tummy troubles. The entire vacation was ruined.

Military families should take advantage of the travel medicine clinic at your local MTF. It was super easy to book an appointment at our clinic. The doctor walked me through best practices, recommended vaccinations and prescribed emergency medicine just in case. Best of all, everything was 100% free.

While traveling in some Asian countries, it’s super important to be conscious of what and where you are eating. I was advised to only drink bottled or boiled water and to skip most iced drinks. Sometimes the ice hasn’t been carefully filtered and can cause illness. It’s also best to stick to street food vendors that look cleaner and who are constantly preparing fresh foods. If it’s been sitting for a while there is a higher chance for sickness down the road.

Bugs and bug-borne illness are prevalent in many Asian nations as well. Zika, malaria and yellow fever are very real threats throughout the region. Wearing lightweight long-sleeve shirts and pants while out in nature can help. Another great idea is using bug sprays, bracelets and stickers. We found the bug stickers to be very effective on our baby carrier and hats. While we still picked up a few bug bites, we did not get sick.

Shop Til You Drop

The shopping in many Asian countries is unparalleled. There are stores, vendors and markets that sell almost anything and everything you can imagine, as well as many things you didn’t know you needed.

I’ve read many articles that advise heavy bartering to negotiate a lower price. I personally have found that this didn’t work. I had better luck with subtle nudges to a lower price.

Shopping in Asia is a great time to pick up gifts on the cheap. In Japan, the Daiso and 100 Yen stores are the best bets for low-cost products with outstanding quality. In Seoul, there are markets and vendors near many subway stations. Throughout Thailand and Vietnam, there are markets and storefronts that sell literally everything at rock-bottom prices.

If you go to Vietnam or Thailand, it might be a good time to invest in a suit or formal wear. Hoi An, in particular, is known for their amazing tailor shops. I can personally vouch for the quality of their work. I picked up a gorgeous ball gown, plus a few other more casual custom items.

Mass Transit

Cities, like Tokyo and Seoul, have amazing mass transit systems. Their subways are immaculately clean and precisely on time. We avoided rush hour in both locations, thankfully. Even during busy times, everyone we met was polite and helpful. Plus Seoul has glass walls and doors to keep people from wandering onto the tracks. Amazing!

We took taxis and tuk-tuks throughout Thailand and Vietnam. It was much easier to get to where we wanted in a timely manner. Plus, it cost next to nothing. Our hour-long ride from the airport to the hotel? That was $18 USD.

What are your best tips for amazing travel experiences in Asia? Share your advice in the comments!

Did you know that some media outlets are estimating 80 percent of homeowners impacted by Hurricane Harvey did not have flood insurance?

As we watch the news coverage of Harvey and its path of destruction in southeast Texas, many of us are asking questions about home flood insurance. Here are the answers to 6 common questions regarding flood insurance for military families.

What is home flood insurance?

The definition of flood insurance is simple. It’s an insurance policy – that may be separate from your homeowners or renters insurance – that covers direct physical loss caused by an excess of water on land that is normally dry.

The National Flood Insurance Program says a flood is “a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of 2 or more acres of normally dry land area or of 2 or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from:

Overflow of inland or tidal waters

Unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source

Mudflow*

Collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or similar body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels that result in a flood as defined above.

*Mudflow is defined as ‘A river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water…'”

The thought of “mudflow” and having to deal with it is enough to make me purchase flood insurance ASAP. I don’t want to be paying for the costs of cleaning up a mess made by mudflow. Am I right?

I don’t live in a high-risk flood zone, so I can skip flood insurance, right?

Wrong. Regardless of where you live, you want to seriously consider flood insurance.

More than 20 percent of flood claims come from homes outside of a high-risk flood zone, according to FEMA.

If it rains where you live, it can flood.

An intense thunderstorm isn’t the only cause for flooding. Unexpected causes of flooding include snowmelt, dams or levees breaking and new construction or developments in an area changing the flow of water above and below ground.

AFI writes flood insurance policies through Wright Flood, which is the largest insurance company providing flood insurance for the National Flood Insurance Program through FEMA. An agent with AFI’s Flood Department can answer questions about your level of risk and review coverage amounts with you. Call 1-800-495-8232 to speak with an agent today.

Does my flood insurance cover my living expenses if my home is damaged by a flood?

No. The national flood insurance policy only covers direct physical flood damage to the dwelling and does not provide additional living expenses. However, in 9 states (CA, FL, LA, MS, NJ, PA, SC, TX, WA) AFI may have a private flood policy that can provide additional living expenses.

Remember that emergency savings account that we are always nagging you to have? This is why. Your emergency savings account is there to cover the unexpected costs occurred during a national disaster.

It depends. AFI offers a renters insurance policy with a comprehensive endorsement does provide coverage for flood and earthquake but most other industry standard renter’s policies do not.

How long does it take for flood insurance to become effective?

There is a 30-day waiting period from the time a policy is purchased until you are covered, with the following exception:

There is no waiting period for a new federally backed loan closing. In this case, coverage is effective immediately, as long as the premium is presented at or prior to loan closing.

However in 9 states (CA, FL, LA, MS, NJ, PA, SC, TX, WA) AFI said they may have a private flood policy option with a shorter or no waiting period unless a storm restriction has been implemented.

Can I transfer my existing flood insurance to AFI?

Yes. Contact an AFI agent to work out the details. You can email your current flood policy to flood@afi.org and they will contact you to discuss the best options.

AFI’s licensed agents can work with you to determine the proper flood coverage to protect you and your home. For more information, call an AFI agent toll-free at 800-495-8232 or get a quote online today!

You have already digitalized many aspects of your life. Nowadays, keeping up with your social life, shopping for a new car, calling an Uber or ordering a pizza can all be done from your phone.

You probably have your bank’s app to monitor your checking or savings account too but what about your budget, credit, investments or retirement planning?

As the saying goes, “there’s an app for that.” Check out these 7 apps below that can help you make the most out of your hard-earned cash.

Best App To Take Control Of Your Credit

Credit Karma

The first stop on your journey to financial success is to know where you stand and go from there. Whether you like it or not, your credit score and credit report are going to impact your financial future and you need to know how the credit world works so that you can make strategic financial moves. Credit Karma will allow you to access your credit scores and reports for free.

The credit scores of military family members may be impacted more than civilians because of frequent moves. Although I think I’m financially well versed, in just a few months as a Credit Karma member, I improved my score by over 25 points. I didn’t realize how the different types of credit inquiries for common things like utilities or mortgage rate shopping were impacting my credit every time I PCSed. Now that I understand how credit scores are calculated, I’m already improving my own score.

Best App For Investing Spare Change On The Go

With Acorns, anyone can become an investor through micro-investing. Connect the banking and credit card accounts of your choice to your Acorns account and when you make a purchase, Acorns will round-up your purchases to the nearest dollar. For just $1 a month (accounts under $5,000) you can start investing the spare change from your daily coffee run into a portfolio of investments you create yourself or ones that are curated by Acorns.

Acorns also partners with “Found Money” retailers. When you shop with them they will automatically invest the cash back bonus you earn into your Acorns account. You can transfer your money back at any time with no fees and no hassles.

Best App To Get A Free Snapshot Of Your Financial Summary

Mint

View your financial life in one place when you log into your free Mint account. You can instantly get a complete picture of your net worth by linking your banking, investments, credit cards and loan accounts with Mint. With all your accounts in one place, it’s easy to track and pay your bills directly from Mint. Mint also makes it easy to create budgets, track investments and discover ways to save for new financial goals. Analyze your spending with quick and easy charts to see where all your dollars are going every month.

Did you spend $200 on work lunches last month? Yikes! Mint will show you your bad habits and help you correct them.

It will also send you personalized alerts whenever you are charged fees, if you go over budget or anything else that seems suspicious.

Best App To Whip Your Budget Into Fighting Shape

You Need a Budget or “Y-NAB” has a cult following of users who swear by the YNAB method. YNAB has a 4-step method for helping you to budget and save: Give every dollar a job, save for a rainy day, roll with the punches and live on last month’s income. It’s free for 34 days (or 1 year if you are a student) and then it’s $50 a year. YNAB claims that on average, its new budgeters save $200 their first month and more than $3,300 by month 9 and that’s savings you can take to the bank!

Best App To Save For A Rainy Day Fund

Save for a rainy day fund or a special treat for yourself with help from Digit. Digit is constantly learning from your spending habits and automatically moves small amounts of money into your Digit account if you can afford it. Your Digit account doesn’t earn interest but it is FDIC-insured.

If you save with Digit for 3 months straight, they will deposit a 1% bonus into your account, which helps to offset the $2.99 monthly charge (but try Digit for free for 100 days first). You can access your savings at any time by simply sending Digit a text. You can also text Digit other commands such as check my balance, set up a new goal or set minimum transfers.

Best App To Get Cashback On Everyday Purchases

If you are going to shop for the things you need anyway, why not get paid to do it? Using Ebates is really simple. Sign-up with Ebates and anytime you shop online, go to ebates.com, search for the store that you want to shop with and click the “shop now” button. Ebates will take you directly to the store’s website, where you shop like normal and make your purchase. A few days after you make your purchase, you will see the cashback in your Ebates account.

On a quarterly basis, Ebates will pay out your “big fat check” either through PayPal or a paper check. Since using Ebates is free, the whole process sounds a little too good to be true but Ebates is just a really good example of affiliate marketing.

Another great feature of Ebates is that you can enjoy the benefits of Ebates as well as any points or cashback you receive from your credit cards as well.

Best App To Analyze Your Net Worth And Plan For Retirement

Personal Capital

Similar to Mint.com, Personal Capital’s free financial software allows you to view and manage all of your financial accounts in one place. You can calculate your net worth, set a monthly budget, manage your investments and plan for your retirement. Mint and Personal Capital are very similar tools, but Personal Capital is more focused on investing and retirement planning and less on spending alerts and budgeting.

One really great feature of Personal Capital is access to its free Retirement Planner. You can build, manage and forecast your future retirement goals and compare where you currently stand to where you need to be in the future. If you would like personalized wealth management advisement, Personal Capital offers additional services for an annual management fee.

What apps do you use to manage your money?

Christine Maxwell is an Army wife and toddler mom. She works as a Budget Manager in Higher Education and also manages HerMoneyMoves, a blog about personal finances, career and military family life geared toward military spouses and their families.

We come from different branches of service and are stationed in different places, but there is certain continuity to the military community. We all face similar financial challenges (most of them unique to the military world) and we all must figure out a way to overcome them.

Here are common financial hurdles that military families face.

I don’t know how much money we need to PCS.

While you may not have pinpoint orders months in advance, most folks know when they are getting close to a PCS. And the planning (and saving!) should begin way before that date. Some military families have a permanent “PCS Fund.” Many of the specific costs may depend on whether you are heading OCONUS or CONUS, but there are some basic considerations that are the same for everyone.

There are several great online resources to help you come up with a PCS budget. You need to make sure you are aware of all your PCS entitlements. While your service member is eligible for DLA (Dislocation Allowance), be leery of taking advance pay – DLA is yours to keep, but advance pay will be coming out of your paycheck for months afterward.

Look for creative ways to save during your PCS. For example, on our recent PCS back to the States, we used up our allotted days of temporary lodging allowance and still were not able to occupy our new rental house. Rather than pay out of pocket for a local hotel, we opted to get a one-week rental of a time share unit through Armed Forces Vacation Club. We had a full kitchen and resort-style amenities for about the quarter of the price of a week’s stay in a hotel.

Pro-tip: Keep all your receipts when you move because you don’t have to itemize to deduct moving expenses that weren’t reimbursed by the government when filing your income taxes.

I’m worried that we will have to live on one salary at our next duty station.

Before you panic, do the math; if you don’t have one already, create a spending plan. Can you survive on one paycheck? Remember to take into account that if you don’t work, you will probably spend less on clothing, child care, transportation costs, taxes and eating out.

If living off of military pay alone isn’t feasible, figure out how long you can survive on one paycheck to give yourself some wiggle room to find a job. Start saving now by cutting back wherever you can while you simultaneously strategize for your future job hunt.

I don’t know whether to rent or buy a house at my next duty station.

Every market is different, so this is going to be something that families will have to reassess each time they get orders. While there are plenty of rent vs. buy calculators out there, such as this one, most of them don’t take into account that most military families move every 2 to 3 years and because of the VA home loan guarantee don’t have to put down a large (or any) down payment.

So you will have to weigh the pros and cons. If you decide home ownership is not for you, you may also have to make a choice between living on post or renting in the local community.

If you decide to buy, there are steps you should be taking right away.

I don’t know if we’re saving enough.

This one isn’t just something military families experience. But in order to know if you’re saving enough, you have to know what you are saving *for*.

I find most people don’t have concrete financial goals, and, to paraphrase the Cheshire Cat in “Alice in Wonderland,” if you don’t know where you’re going, then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.

Most of the time that panicked feeling that you haven’t saved enough stems from not having clear-cut financial goals. Ignorance is not always bliss.

It’s typically suggested that you save 10% of your net income, but depending on your personal goals, you may need to save more. An emergency fund of at least $1,000 comes first, and then everything else depends on personal preferences.

One thing is for sure, kids can borrow for college, but parents can’t for retirement.

Military spouses should also make sure that they have retirement savings in their own right, even if they are not working. There are some good retirement calculators out there, and if you need more guidance, consider visiting a free financial counselor at your family service center. MilitaryOneSource also has free financial counselors on hand.

Pro tip: Write down some near (less than 5 years out) and long-term goals and share your progress with a friend. In a study conducted at Dominican University in California, people who wrote down goals and kept pals informed were more than 70% successful in attaining them.

What are your financial concerns? Do you need advice on how to overcome them? Share your concerns in the comments section.

That’s how long it’s been since our rental home was struck by lightning simultaneously destroying our rental house and our emergency savings account.

Even though we didn’t stop our retirement savings, we put the break on regular deposits to our emergency savings account during, what we called “Lightning Gate.”

As grateful as I am that we made emergency savings a priority, actually watching your savings account drain to nothingness is sobering and the idea of rebuilding your stash is, frankly, irritating, annoying and overwhelming.

Regardless, we knew that we had to get back into the swing of saving money for our emergency fund as soon as we could. Here’s how we did it.

How to Get Back into the Swing of Saving Money

Give yourself time to bitch about starting over again. And then get over it.

No, seriously. This is part of the process. Think about it…when something crappy happens or when you’re sad or mad or feeling things, one the most cathartic things you can do is vent about it.

Forget the silver linings, forget the kumbayah and spare yourself the it-gets-better speech. Sometimes adulting sucks and now is the perfect example.

Once you get the bitching about it out of your system, take a deep cleansing breath and…

Dust off your budget and examine your current spending to get a better idea of what you’re working with.

When you and your finances are operating in crisis mode, you’re just trying to make everything work. You’ve got transfers coming from savings to checking and from checking to crisis-related expenses.

Things are NOT business as usual. Your spending patterns aren’t normal and your mindset is operating in high alert.

Take time to reevaluate your budget and set new goals that include rebuilding your savings account. Going back to budgeting basics will help you rebuild your confidence. It will also make you better informed and better positioned to make smart decisions to move your financial situation forward.

Need a helping hand? We’ve got you covered. Check out our articles and printables on budgeting here and here.

Rebuilding your emergency savings account is obviously going to take time. Are there any opportunities for you to look for a quick win?

Can you tackle a financial Whole30 where you cut out all unnecessary spending for a month or stop your coffee or restaurant habit for a few weeks?

Or maybe this is the perfect time to do the garage sale you always wanted to have?

Getting an early win can help jumpstart your motivation to get back into the swing of saving money.

Put your savings plan on autopilot.

One of the easiest ways to force yourself back into saving money is to put your savings on autopilot. Set up an allotment from your paycheck and/or your spouse’s LES (Leave and Earnings Statement). You can also schedule a regular automatic transfer to your savings account on paydays (read: before you have time to spend it).

Accept that rebuilding your savings takes time and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Emergency savings accounts are always a work in progress. Always. They exist to help you help yourself during a time of crisis.

You got there once, you’ll get there again.

One step at a time.

Have you had to rebuild your savings account after a crisis? How did you get back into the swing of saving money?

I used to give part of the financial briefing to first term airmen and I would generally get the stunned mullet look when I asked them:

If your iPad is stolen out of your car, does your auto insurance cover it?

The answer usually was “Of course!” (with an implied “idiot” in there at the end). But it turns out it’s not so simple: if your personal belongings are stolen out of your vehicle, your auto insurance does NOT in fact cover the loss, it’s your renters (or homeowners) insurance that does.

A 2015 poll by the Insurance Information Institute revealed that some 95 percent of homeowners have homeowners insurance while less than half of renters have renters insurance.

Why should you have renters insurance?

For starters, according to an article in Forbes magazine, not having renters insurance is a mistake that could cost you $5,000 or more. In reality, the average renter has more than $35,000 in property that is not covered by a landlord’s policy. If that doesn’t make you sit up and pay attention, here are 6 more reasons to convince you to get it pronto:

6 Reasons Why if You Don’t Have Renters Insurance You Should Get a Renters Insurance Policy Pronto

It covers random shit you never realized.

The aforementioned iPad in the car, the laptop stolen out of a hotel room, those are all personal items that are covered by your renters policy (not auto). So is the damage that junior causes when he throws a baseball through the neighbor’s window. Oh, and if Rover bites a guest, liability and medical payments cover it. Ditto if your grandma’s golfing buddy falls down the stairs and tries to sue you.

Your crap is probably worth more than you think it is.

You might think you don’t have enough high-value items to warrant a renters policy, but if you start tallying up the value of your stuff, you might be surprised.

If you couldn’t easily cover the purchase price of all your stuff (and who would want to have to re-buy a laptop, TV, tablet, cell phone, military gear, clothing and washer and dryer all at once?), then you should really consider renters insurance.

Pro-tip: The Insurance Information Institute has a handy online program and phone app you can use to create, store and update the contents of your home inventory.

It can help you in an emergency.

Many renters policies cover hotel stays and other out-of-pocket expenses if your rental suddenly becomes uninhabitable due to circumstances like flooding or fire.

You probably aren’t covered if you live in government housing.

While many service members believe that their possessions are automatically covered if they live on a military installation, this is not necessarily the case. A 2015 BAH change means that most on-post privatized military housing does not cover renters insurance the way that it may have in the past.

Your landlord may require it.

More and more leases are requiring tenants to provide their own coverage. While a landlord may have a rental policy covering the structure you live in, everything inside those 4 walls (unless it’s something like a stove that was there when you moved in) is yours to deal with.

Renters insurance is cheap.

The average renters insurance policy costs between $15 and $30 per month. Premiums can be less expensive if you “bundle” the insurance with your auto or other policies. And you may be given discounts for alarm systems, sprinklers, deadbolts or other safety and security features.

There are 2 kinds of policies, ones that base reimbursement on Actual Cash Value (ACV) and ones that reimburse based on Replacement Cost Value (RCV).

The ACV policies will generally have lower premiums, but will account for depreciation when calculating the amount paid out.

A RCV policy will replace your items with similar items at current market value up to the value of your policy. If you have valuable items like furs, costly jewels, expensive cameras or antiques, your policy may not cover them and may require you to purchase a separate “floater” policy.

It’s important to note that not every policy covers your possessions while you are traveling or while they’re being shipped or stored when you are PCSing.

And not every policy will cover for things like earthquakes and flooding. Sometimes those are included, but other insurers will require you to purchase a separate policy. If you are moving to a state prone to these natural disasters, it would make sense to check into coverage limitations.

The Insurance Information Institute provides a handy checklist to help you choose the right coverage for your situation.

Whatever you do, if you for some reason don’t have renters insurance right now, go out and get a policy, even a basic policy, ASAP.

For the price of a couple of movie tickets, you can have something more valuable than all your gadgets and gizmos put together: peace of mind.

Do you have renters insurance? What is your “I can’t believe my renters insurance policy covers this, but I’m so glad it did,” story? Share it with us in the comments section.

Before we got married, our friends joked that we should get a prenup. After all, it’s smart to protect your assets.

John and I would laugh: what assets?

Neither of us owned a house or had any substantial savings over a few thousand dollars. The most expensive piece of jewelry I owned (even now) was my engagement ring. I had already handed in my resignation and was looking (frantically) for a work-from-home job that could travel with me.

And our cars?

We each owned two pieces of metal with mounted wheels. Technically, yes, they were cars. But there was no way that we could have called them assets and not have been laughed out of a lawyer’s office.

My car was more than 10 years old and had lost a wheel while I was driving not once…but twice due to a parts failure. (That’s another story.) In fact, the second time, it took AAA 4 hours to even find a tow truck that wanted to tow my car off the road.

Despite my best efforts and taking it to the mechanic multiple times, it also had a power outage…in the rain…while I was driving around D.C. on 495, the timing belt decided to go on vacation on 95, and the air conditioner had waved a white flag.

John’s car was an old, pimp-tastic beater from the early ‘90s and unbelievably was more reliable than my car. Still, one night, the brake lines ripped apart and we coasted through a red light and into a parking lot. There was no crash, miraculously, but the mechanic took one look at it and declared that it was totaled.

No worries – we still had another car.

Until 5 days later when we didn’t.

My car, with all of its problems, heard the last, rattled breath of John’s car and decided it was time to pack it in.

In one week, we went from 2 cars to zero and had a crash course in the hard reality of buying a car. Here’s what we learned:

Maybe Don’t Buy When You’re Hard Up

When you’re less panicked and when you don’t absolutely need a car, you can watch for sales and deals. Beware of feeling pressured to make decisions because of your circumstances. It’s easier to be manipulated or buy things you want or don’t need when you’re anxious.

Consider Your Need

John and I decided that we were going to become a one-car family – purely out of financial necessity.

The decision was tough at first – it meant a loss of independence for me that I hadn’t felt before – and it meant that we had to tweak some of our schedules and routines.

Now, more than 2 years later, I’m really proud of our choice. Not only was it fiscally responsible at the time, but it’s continued to help us save extra money that we wouldn’t have been able to if we were operating 2 cars.

And, as the tree-hugger I am, I feel really good about our contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Ask for Discounts

A car dealership is no different than another store. Don’t be shy! Ask for discounts and see which ones you qualify for.

Our salesman didn’t think we qualified for a rebate and didn’t bring it to our attention. We pressed him for any other possible discounts and he mentioned it.

But Seriously, Ask for Discounts

USAA Is Your Best Friend

John, who researches like a boss, made use of USAA’s car comparison tool as part of making sure that we were getting the absolute best price for the best car that we could afford. This brilliant piece of technology gives you the ability to see what the purchase highs, lows and averages are for the particular car you’re interested in so you don’t overpay.

Pay Attention to the Time

Although I wouldn’t use “lucky” to describe our conundrum, we were quite pleased to find out that the weekend we were shopping just happened to be one of the best times to shop for cars in the year.

Statistically, springtime isn’t a great time to get discounts and savings on a car.

Wait for the fall and winter if you’re focused on the financial impact. Shopping during the early part of the week is also better – you’ll probably be one of the only people in the dealership, will most likely get better service and will feel less rushed.

The end of the month or the end of the quarter is also a great time to look for a car – a salesperson might offer a better deal because they’re trying to hit a certain sales goal.

Be Wary of Add-Ons

Once you say OK to a car, the salesperson will most likely sit you down with another salesperson who will try to sell you fancy-sounding whosits and whatsits that your car just simply cannot run without. Really consider these add-ons before you say yes to any of them. Chances are, you won’t really need them in the future.

Check Out Extended Warranties

You may be interested in purchasing an extended warranty when you buy your new car. Make sure that you read the fine print and really know what’s covered in the extension. It might not be as much as you think.

Test Drive for Real

Have kids or parents that will routinely be in the car with you? Bring them along for a test drive. It’s better now to find out that the car seat doesn’t fit well in that cute two-door coupe than later.

Don’t Forget Insurance

Figure your insurance costs into the price of your new car. If you live in a state that slams cars with property taxes (like Virginia!) make sure you are aware of those costs, too.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock devoid of wi-fi signal, you’ve probably seen and/or listened to (and then hit repeat on) Queen Bey’s unapologetic anthem proclaiming how she slay…”Formation.” If not, don’t worry. We found a totally safe-for-work version here.

Now, I’m not here to talk about how Beyoncé and I are twinsies because of our mutual love for Cheddar Bay Biscuits or how I’ve been missing out by NOT having hot sauce in my purse…I mean, I don’t have an excuse, have you seen the tiny Tabasco sauce bottles that come in every MRE?

I am here to tell you that I guarantee that right after Beyoncé slays, she sure as hell pays herself first (and then she goes out to buy that “Givenchy dress” and “Roc necklaces”…obvi).

This challenge is extra special because it’s just in time for Military Saves Week! Check out Military Saves to take your savings to the next level with a Military Saves Pledge.

Challenge Details: Do you have an emergency savings account? An IRA? A 401(k)? TSP? Set aside 1 hour this week to set up an automatic deposit from your bank account or paycheck to put toward your savings and investing goals.

Bonus points if you post a photo of you telling us how you played this goal on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #2016IsMyBitch

Because you’re awesome and you already completed the Week 2 Challenge and the Week 3 Challenge, you should have a pretty good idea of how much money you have to play with when it comes to paying yourself first

But first, what the heck does it mean to pay yourself first?! Good question.

Paying yourself first is just the most overused way ever to say,

Hey, before you spend all of your money, why don’t you set aside some money for an emergency or when you decide you’re too old for this shit (this shit=working full-time).

I know, it’s SO hard to save for things because life is SO expensive and you hardly have money to…

make it through each month, but seriously…Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will all of your savings goals.

That’s OK, we get it. Baby steps are still steps forward. Here’s a quick priority list of all of the things you should consider setting up for automatic deposits.

How to Prioritize Your Savings and Investing Goals

Priority 1: Emergency Savings

Emergency savings is like the foundation of paying yourself first. Everybody needs to be working toward having at least 6 months of living expenses (not necessarily salary) set aside in a savings account. Remember, emergency savings are supposed to be liquid assets, meaning that, in the event that you need the funds you can get to the funds quickly.

There are 2 easy ways to set this up: 1) via allotment from an LES or paycheck 2) via an automatic transfer from your main checking account.

If you’re someone who likes to shuffle money between your savings and checking accounts, you may want to consider having a savings account at a different bank than your checking account. You know who you are.

A lot of times, we think of retirement savings as a benefit associated with being actively employed, but did youknow that there are spousal IRAs for spouses who work limited hours or stay at home? Check out the IRS guide on spousal IRAs here.

For employer sponsored retirement savings, oh like TSP, you should be able to designate a portion of your salary to be deposited into an account on your behalf. For non-employer associated retirement savings, you will have to set up automatic deposits from your bank account. The cool thing is that you can typically save as little as $25 a month to start saving toward retirement! That’s like one night out at a restaurant or 5 lattes.

Priority 3: Long-Term & Short-Term Goal Savings

Saving for long-term goals, like cars or houses, can feel like a daunting task, but with a clear goal in mind (i.e. deadline and total amount to save) it is something you can easily work into your monthly budget.

Say, for example, you just paid off one of your cars. Chances are you might need to replace said car in 5 years. For the next 5 years you could “pay” a car payment to a savings account so you can buy your next car with cash or have a sizable down payment. Heck, you were already making a car payment…will you miss it THAT much?

Priority 4: College Savings

You read that right. The last priority on your “pay yourself first” list is college savings. I know you love your kids, but there are ZERO grants or loans for senior citizens. Unless your retirement plan includes being a boomerang parent, you’ve got to put your current finances first and worry about the kiddos later. Once you’ve minimized debt, got your emergency savings on lock, and set up your retirement savings plans THEN and only then should you look at college savings.

There are tons of options out there when it comes to saving for college, but our fave is the 529 plan. Not sure where to start? Check out Morningstar’s 529 ratings.

Then the housing and job market tanked when many of us were looking for our first adult jobs. The Great Recession hit. Interest rates fell.

As new adults, we dealt with trying to find jobs that paid above minimum wage, never mind the benefits—or if the job fits into our career plans. (And I would bet that more than a few of you know someone—or yourself—who joined the military either to pay for college or in order to have a steady job with a steady paycheck and benefits because one wasn’t available in the civilian world.) For all of those reasons, we’re less likely to take on more debt by buying houses or cars and more likely to try to save with smaller banks.

But we’re not lazy. We’re frugal and conscious with our finances.

Some burgeoning research is finding that we might be the most frugal and financially minded generation since The Greatest Generation. (Take that, misplaced stereotypes!)

Although it seems like we’ve had a pretty unlucky time of it thus far, we’ve got one thing on our side: technology. We’re able to tap into tons of information to help us make smart financial choices—something our grandparents simply didn’t have.

Sifting through all of the information can be a chore, so we’ve found 6 financial blogs that will give you great advice and viewpoints without making you do a lot of digging.

The Budget Loving Military Wife

The Budget Loving Military Wife is written by Nichole, a military spouse who is currently living in the UK. While her blog is for anyone looking for “financial freedom,” she also includes posts specific to the military community. Her posts are meaty and offer sensible advice that you can actually incorporate into your planning and spending. She also cultivates a community through her $1,000,000 Challenge, so if you’re looking to save money and be accountable, you might be interested in joining!

Want to know more about The Budget Loving Military Wife? Here are 3 articles we recommend:

The Empowered Dollar

If you’ve ever wondered why more financial blogs aren’t in cartoon form, this blog is for you. Written by Stephanie, a 20-something artist and blogger, The Empowered Dollar offers a light-hearted (and cartoon-heavy) look at being money-wise from a millennial perspective. Stephanie herself paid off $35,000 of debt in 4 years—so she knows what many of us are experiencing, and she uses that knowledge to write a unique and interesting site full of helpful tips and information.

Making Sense of Cents

Michelle began her blog when she was deeply in debt…and ended up quitting her day job to write her blog. (For bloggers, she’s living the dream!) She routinely makes more than $14,000 a month and every month she shares her updates and exactly how she makes that much cash. But her blog isn’t just about what she makes, it’s about practical tips for saving and stretching money so you’re able to live a fuller life with what you have.

Here are 3 articles to invest time in reading on Making Sense of Cents:

The Military Wallet

Written by Ryan Guina, an Air Force veteran, this blog is driven less by personality and more by the nitty, gritty facts of military life. While The Military Wallet sometimes delves into more emotional topics relating to finances, the vast majority of stories detail military discounts and policies and programs that can affect your bottom line. The Military Wallet also has a podcast for those of you who aren’t big blog readers.

Does The Military Wallet appeal to your financial sense? Start here to find out:

Gen Y Planning

Sophia Bera herself is a millennial and is the only blogger in this list who is a certified financial planner. Gen Y Planning is a fresh and educational look at the unique needs and fears of millennials when it comes to planning for the here-and-now and for the future.

Money Under 30

One of the oldest and most well-known blogs for millennials, Money Under 30 is run by David, a writer who wants to help readers “create better habits, beat debt, and build real wealth.” The site is easy to navigate and offers tons of resources and advice on a variety of pertinent topics.

There you have it—6 financial blogs that you really should spend a little time reading. No matter where you are in your financial journey these blogs can offer additional insights, resources and ideas as you look to fortify your nest egg, buy a house, plan for retirement or save for that once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Well, it’s happened. You’ve moved to a high-cost area and your bank account is deflated. From the crazy price of milk to the insane price of gas to the whacked price of movie tickets, you’re feeling a little defeated and deflated yourself.

Especially for enlisted military families, getting orders to an area with an exorbitant cost of living can be frustrating.

Add in student loans or other debt and it can be a cocktail for serious financial concerns. If you find yourself in an expensive area with a dwindling budget, this article is for you. Here are 10 tips for making the most of your money and having fun on a shoestring.

Create a realistic budget

It’s really tempting to create a bare-bones budget. Unless you’re a monk or an ascetic, creating a life based on bread crusts, water and the cruddiest apartment in the scariest neighborhood isn’t useful. It’s better to create a realistic budget—one that takes into account all facets of your family’s life, including entertainment and fun.

…And use your budget

A budget isn’t much good unless you actually use it. If you’ve budgeted one weekend a month for pizza delivery, stick to it—your pizza delivery guy shouldn’t know your usual, your name…and your kids’ names. Make sure that you have all aspects of your budget covered—from bills to your savings to your retirement—before you reach across the counter for that Frappamochalattachino.

Search out free opportunities

With a few taps of your phone or clicks of your mouse, you can unearth a ton of free events and opportunities in your area. You can find websites full of free events in high-cost areas like San Diego, D.C. and Hawaii.

Mine organizations for information

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Blue Star Families sponsors Blue Star Museums where admission to hundreds of museums around the country is waived for military families. Last year, my husband and I saved at least $150 in admission fees using the Blue Star Museums program.

The National Park System also offers a free annual pass for military families—make sure you have one, especially if a National Park is in your area. If you are stationed in the D.C. area, sign up for the USO’s Ticketline. Free or discounted tickets to local concerts, theater and sporting events are distributed through the USO Ticketline.

Rent from MWR

You know that MWR has a ton of opportunities on base for discounted rates, right? Bowling alleys, swimming pools, rental equipment…Yes, all kinds of rental equipment—from kayaks to camping gear to inflatable lawn games. Basically, if you can’t find fun around your area for a price you can afford, MWR can help you make your own fun.

Use military services and benefits

Some bases have their own private beachfront. (Yay for avoiding crowds and not having to pay parking fees!) Others have picnic areas and playgrounds. Know what the bases in your area offer and make use of them. If you live close to amusement parks, you’ll want see what military discounts they offer. Some, like Busch Gardens, even offer free admission.

Use transportation wisely

Believe or not, a car can cost the average American family $7,000 to $11,000 according to AAA. In some cities, parking costs can take a huge chunk of cash. Consider alternatives to your car—whether that’s walking, biking, taking the bus or rail system or simply consolidating trips so that you use your car less.

If you work from home, think about becoming a one-car family. Not only is it friendlier on your wallet, it’s kinder to the environment. Win-win!

And I’m not just preaching an empty doctrine. My husband and I are a one-car family and although it took some getting used to, it’s saved us thousands of dollars and helped us get on strong financial footing.

Be a savvy shopper

Know what the average price is on- and off-base for your family’s staples like bread, milk and produce. When you know that, you can make smart decisions about where to shop for what. Depending on specials, coupons and rebates, the commissary might not always be the cheapest place to buy certain items.

Save by refusing

If you’re looking to save a ton of money fast for some summer fun, lose your vices. Americans spend a ton of money on cigarettes, alcohol and coffee. Get rid of your Starbucks addiction and you’ll probably save about $20 a week. Ban soft drinks and alcohol from your house and save more. Purchase a reusable bottle and forego disposable bottled water. (Again, great for your budget and even better for the environment!)

Participate in the community

Often military families feel estranged from their off-base communities. Become familiar with your city’s business association, the community calendar, and non-profits. Chances are, there is a wealth of activities happening every day in your community from First Fridays to kids’ playgroups to book clubs to park clean-ups. You just need to look for them.

Being stationed in an area with a high cost of living can be concerning at first. However, so many of those areas also play host to a huge number of military families, so resources are more than likely plentiful. Make sure that you use all of your resources as you save and have fun this summer!

Are you currently living in a high-cost area? Have you in the past? What tips can you offer military families looking to maximize their paychecks and fun?